Heart attack is a medical condition of sudden interruption or insufficiency of the supply of blood to the heart, typically resulting from occlusion or obstruction of a coronary artery and often characterized by severe chest pain. Also called myocardial infarction.
Statins: Benefits questionable in low-risk patients – There is not enough evidence to recommend the widespread use of statins in people with no previous history of heart disease, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review.
New guidelines for preventing falls in the elderly include: start tai chi, cut-back on meds – In the first update of the American Geriatrics Society and the British Geriatric Society’s guidelines on preventing falls in older persons since 2001, they now recommend that all interventions for preventing falls should include an exercise component and that a number of new assessments should be used, including; feet and footwear, fear of falling, and ability to carry out daily living activities.
A new therapy for obstructive sleep apnea and snoring – Snoring may be an irritating phenomenon depriving you of good sleep. It can signal sleep apnea and may lead to even a heart attack.
Electronic medical records not always linked to better care in hospitals, study finds – Use of electronic health records by hospitals across the United States has had only a limited effect on improving the quality of medical care, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
Heart-attack risk increases rapidly after rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed — Large-scale study reports 60 percent increase in risk just a year after diagnosis – The risk of having a heart attack is 60 per cent higher just a year after a patient has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, according to research published in the December issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.
Recurrent miscarriage raises heart attack risk fivefold in later life — Pregnancy loss and risk of cardiovascular disease: A prospective population-based cohort study (EPIC-Heidelberg) – Recurrent miscarriage increases a woman’s chance of having a heart attack fivefold in later life, indicates research published online in the journal Heart.
Binge drinking may lead to higher risk of heart disease — Research: Patterns of alcohol consumption and ischemic heart disease in culturally divergent countries: The Prospective Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infarction (PRIME) – Belfast’s binge drinking culture could be behind the country’s high rates of heart disease, according to a paper published on bmj.com today.
FDA significantly restricts access to the diabetes drug Avandia — Makes regulatory decisions on RECORD and TIDE trials – FDA will restrict the use of the diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) to patients with Type 2 diabetes who cannot control their diabetes on other medications. Avandia may elevate risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke.
BMJ report into top-selling diabetes drug raises concerns about the drug regulatory system – A BMJ investigation into the top-selling diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) raises concerns about its safety and the whole system by which drugs are evaluated, regulated, and promoted around the world.
Margarines with low-dose omega-3 fatty acids don’t protect heart patients – A diet enriched with omega-3 fatty acids don’t appear to give additional protection against further cardiac trouble in patients, revealed by Dutch researchers.
Calcium supplements linked to increased risk of heart attack — Research: Effect of calcium supplements on risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular events: meta-analysis – Calcium supplements, commonly taken by older people for osteoporosis, are associated with an increased risk of a heart attack, revealed by researchers. The results suggest that a reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in osteoporosis management is needed.
Combination MMRV vaccine linked with 2-fold risk of seizures — Electronic health records study of 459,000 children sparked new CDC recommendations – The combination vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (MMRV) is associated with double the risk of febrile seizures for 1- to 2-year-old children compared with same-day administration of the separate vaccine for MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and the varicella (V) vaccine for chicken pox.
